MARTIN DEMPSTER

Chris Currie and Greig Hutcheon both played their part in helping fellow Scot Albert MacKenzie steer Great Britain & Ireland to a record-breaking victory in the PGA Cup, writes Martin Dempster.

Rounding off a superb performance against the United States at Foxhills in Surrey, MacKenzie’s men won the concluding singles 7.5-2.5 for a 16-10 success – GB&I’s biggest win in the battle for the Llandudno Trophy.

On his debut in the event, Currie took his haul to an impressive three-and-a-half points from five as he hauled himself back from three down at the turn to finish all square against Rod Perry.

Hutcheon, playing in the biennial event for a second time, also halved his singles, clinching the host’s side’s victory in the process as he held Paul Claxton, with the Americans eventually blown away after starting the last day with a promising early burst.

“To see Greig knock that putt in, it was a very emotional few minutes after it,” said a delighted MacKenzie. “That was the best sporting afternoon of my life. I never thought that Aberdeen beating Real Madrid in 1983 [in the European Cup-Winners’ Cup] would be eclipsed for me. It has been this afternoon.

“I’m absolutely thrilled. The way the guys stuck to the task – they are ten warriors. I am just so happy that we have retained the PGA Cup. It’s just a wonderful end to a wonderful journey.”

MacKenzie, one of Jon Bevan’s assistants as GB&I claimed a first win on US soil at CordeValle in California in 2015, added: “We had one more task today – to climb the final piece of the mountain and plant two flags on top. That’s what we did today. We had a very strong structure to our singles matches. It was important to put experience and strength at the top and, although there was some red on the board early on, I was confident that Damien [McGrane] and Robert [Coles] in the first two games would turn them around. And they did.

“Martyn Thompson and Cameron Clark, my two vice-captains, have been fantastic and we had ten great players. We stood back and let them do what they do best – play great golf.”